Villa's biggest game in...

[Dave]

Relegation means losing £50 million. You'd then struggle to come back up any time soon.

Why? We'd be in a better situation than most (all?) of our rivals in the Championship.

I'd take a cup win.

You can't say that conclusively without knowing who we'd lose/shed in the process of relegation. Every PL team relegated get their best players cherry picked and to assume we'd be any different is naive, in my opinion. CB is likely to leave even after we've stayed up. Plus we'd have a season of playing teams, who would see Villa as their cup final.

And you don't know that we'd spend 'five years in the wilderness' if we were to go down.

If you guarantee me an FA Cup win next season in exchange for relegation then I'd take that.

[Irish villain]

Villa have never been relegated from the premier league.  I'd rather we kept that record in tact personally.

As for a cup win, Villa have won cups before - and we will again. 

Agreed. And, as a lover of history, I love the fact that only Everton have spent more time in the top flight than Villa. A few years out of the top flight for the sake of a cup win wouldn't do us any favours at all.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

I can't recall a season apart from the 81 Champions season where we've played so many 'cup finals' or must win games.

[Damo70]

I can't remember a season, apart from the year we went down, when we had to worry about relegation for so long. Other seasons we seem to have been sucked in later on or pulled away a bit earlier.

[eamonn]

Can we do a poll for this? I'd be really interested in the results.
I remember when Spurs won the League Cup a few years ago but did dire in the league (Ramos' season?) and we came 6th, we had a very heated debate on here about who had had a "better season".

[somersetlion]

Villa have never been relegated from the premier league.  I'd rather we kept that record in tact personally.

As for a cup win, Villa have won cups before - and we will again. 

I've been going to the Villa since 1986 - in that time I've seen them win precisely 2 cups (not counting intertoto) - we were also relegated in that time.  So not sure I fully believe the 'and we will again'. In the club honours board does it say seasons not relegated from the premier league?  It does list FA Cup victories - football should be about winning things surely - not clinging on year after year for the money.  I'm not saying I want us relegated - nothing could be further from the truth.  But if I had to make a choice I would take a cup win.

I would also take a cup win over finishing 4th to get into champs league - hate the way the premier league and then champions league is the be all and end all.  Tropies matter and trying to win trophies matter.  Not finishing 4th or just avoiding relegation.

[Irish villain]

I'm a traditionalist so agree with you in sentiment. I want trophies!

That said, with my history cap on, things do change and that's a reality. The game is moving towards the Premier League and the Champions League are where its at and the history books that will be written in the future will also reflect that. We are merely moving with the times. Our reduced trophy haul being balanced by our membership of an exclusive club that has remained top flight for quarter of a century.

[Damo70]

I would rather win a cup and finish 17th than come second and win nothing. But win a cup at the expense of going down? No.

[eastie]

Relegation means losing £50 million. You'd then struggle to come back up any time soon. getting relegated is a long term issue, winning the cup is a short term boost.
Are you happy for Villa to be in the wilderness for 5 years for a cup win?

your absolutely correct in everthing you say, cant argue against it

but i would still take the FA cup in the twinkling of an eye

Me too- its the trophy i crave , having seen us win league, European cup , league cups the fa cup is the holy grail for me.

[PaulWinch again]

Yeah I'd rather stay up than win the cup, purely for the sake of the club's future. However I think staying up and winning a cup is perfectly achievable.